Publications

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July 2010 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Werner von Siemens and the Electric Telegraph

By: Geoffrey Jones and Bjoern von Siemens

This case describes the nineteenth century founding by Werner Siemens of the Siemens electrical business in Germany. Werner's dual role as inventor and entrepreneur is explored as he created one of the world's first multinational enterprises, whose growth initially... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Growth and Development Strategy; Electronics Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Germany

22 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 22, 2008

business strategy is closely tied to its research strategy, which emphasizes extensive internal discovery and development capabilities leading to organic growth along with explicit external alliances and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 1998 (Revised January 2002)
Case

China: Facing the 21st Century

After 20 years of strong economic performance, economic czar Zhu Rongji considers whether it is time to rethink China's development strategy. The case reviews China's development strategy since 1978 and considers the challenges facing the country as it enters the 21st... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Macroeconomics; China

December 2021
Case

The Instant Payment Mandate: The Central Bank of Brazil and Pix

By: Lauren Cohen and Spencer C. N. Hagist

João M. P. De Mello and his team at the Central Bank of Brazil are preparing a move that would seek to tilt the scales in favor of financial inclusion for the entire country. The innovation at hand is the unprecedented nation-wide instant payment scheme: Pix. The fruit... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Finance; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Banking Industry; Brazil

07 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: Sept. 7

itself searching for the right growth strategy moving forward. U.S. same-store sales had declined for eight consecutive quarters, and Wal-Mart was increasingly becoming dependent on international sales.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Feb 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Where Should We Build a Mall? The Formation of Market Structure and Its Effect on Sales

Keywords: by Doug J. Chung, Kyoungwon Seo, and Reo Song; Retail; Real Estate; Construction

July 2001 (Revised October 2004)
Case

PSA: The World's Port of Call

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Nancy Bartlett, Dolly Chang-Leow and Neo Boon Siong

Details the evolution of an e-business strategy and capabilities over a 16-year period. What began in 1984 as an effort to automate the port of Singapore to achieve productivity savings, by 2000 had evolved into a global e-business called Portnet.com. Closes as senior... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Business or Company Management; Shipping Industry; Information Technology Industry

January 1989
Case

Benetton S.p.A.

By: Howard H. Stevenson

Focuses on the strategic/organizational development of Benetton. Examines the organizational structure which has allowed the company to expand into a world scale company from its small entrepreneurial base. Examines the functional strategies which have allowed a huge... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Organizational Structure; Growth and Development; Business Strategy; Performance Effectiveness; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

Research Summary

Professor Wei-Skillern's research is focused in the field of Social Enterprise. Her research examines the creation of social value in both commercial and nonprofit organizations. In the former stream of research on corporate social responsibility, she has studied... View Details

02 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: May 2, 2017

predictably difficult situations need to understand that human judgment is still one of the most important tools. Company leaders need to offer better employee training on all these points. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52591 April... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

06 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

High Hills, Deep Poverty: Explaining Civil War in Nepal

to prevent them. "The main conclusion from this whole stream of research is that investing in poverty reduction strategies not only has direct economic benefits but also political benefits," says Lakshmi Iyer, a Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2025
Working Paper

Magnetic Resonance Imaging—High Quality and Radiation Free: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Srikant M. Datar, Amar Bhidé and Katherine Stebbins

This case history describes how Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) came to complement – and partially replace -- computed tomography (CT) imaging of soft tissue. Specifically, we chronicle 1) the development of foundational techniques and prototypes (through the 1970s);... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

SSRN

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29 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 29

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/11-120.pdf A Theory of Explicitly Formulated Strategy Authors:Eric J. Van den Steen Abstract When a CEO tries to formulate "a strategy," what is she looking for? What exactly is "a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2020 (Revised November 2020)
Case

d.light

By: Michael Chu, Krishna G. Palepu and Dilyana Karadzhova Botha

Kenyan off-grid-solar pioneer d.light can power entire homes in rural Africa but must now decide how to fund the growth of its asset-heavy business model. Ned Tozun and Sam Goldman founded d.light in 2006 to transform lives through solar solutions enabling access to... View Details

Keywords: Alternative Energy; Business Model; Capital; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Financial Strategy; Renewable Energy; Strategy; Social Entrepreneurship; Energy Industry; Africa; Kenya; India

May 2009 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Daqi

By: Robert C. Pozen, Richard Franklyn Armbrust and Ziquan Zhang

In 2008, Daqi was one of the largest Internet portals for user-generated content and the leading word-of-mouth marketing provider in China. Grace Zhou, Daqi's CEO, was contemplating the risks and benefits of expanding Daqi's services into three new content areas—news,... View Details

Keywords: Information Publishing; Growth and Development Strategy; Risk Management; Marketing; Business and Government Relations; Expansion; Internet; Information Industry; China

July 1993
Case

Genzyme Corporation: A Financing History

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Andrew D. Regan

Genzyme Corp.'s financing history is unusual compared to most biotech companies. This case presents the sequence of financings employed by Genzyme, along with the product--market and corporate-development strategies adopted by Henri Termeer, Genzyme's CEO. As such, the... View Details

Keywords: History; Marketing Strategy; Financing and Loans; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Biotechnology Industry

March 2005 (Revised August 2019)
Case

Cisco Systems: Managing the Go-to-Market Evolution

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

With the collapse of the dot-com market and related shrinkage in the high-tech industry, Cisco took a dip in its sales and profits in 2001. Coming back from the recession, Cisco had to manage and evolve its go-to-market strategy and design in keeping with its new... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Design; Business Cycles; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy

2002
Other Unpublished Work

A View of Ontario: Ontario's Clusters of Innovation

By: Michael E. Porter

In Working Paper 1, A view of Ontario: Ontario's clusters of innovation, we reviewed the importance of clusters of traded industries to an economy's productivity, innovation, and standard of living. Professor Michael Porter of the Institute for Strategy and... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Growth and Development; Canada

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March 2017
Teaching Note

Showpad

By: Frank Cespedes

Showpad is a startup that provides a sales enablement platform and tools. The venture has grown 100% annually since its founding four years ago, and the founders are evaluating growth options and decisions in three areas: adding product features, possible pricing... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Sales